gmtPLUS09 | live from Seoul

A Ford Motor designer is monitoring the next generation of technology-embedded youth as they grow up. This is the target segment he has in mind as he tries to forecast what they’ll want in an automobile in 2020.

It would interesting to read the juicy tidbits: which type of monitoring he is using to scale the lifestyle and aspirations of the target market. He also plans on merging the latest tech with the habits of drivers. It’s difficult to fathom a FoMoCo guy spearheading such a vision.

The masters of relating to the younger generations are the Japanese. Their offspring are considered global trendsetters who absorb Western culture and spinoff global influences. I’ve seen some really good research methods and product implementation by Nissan (Cube) and Toyota (Scion). Even Renault with their crafty interior concepts suited for Generation Y.

On the flipside, Honda couldn’t predict baby boomers would become the main users of the Element. Honda marketers spent a large time studying the lifestyle patterns of Gen X and Y in their natural habitats (surfing, hanging out on the beach, mountain biking, camping), yet it were the 50 year-old plus who were using the Elements for gardening and hauling random things.

Link: Designing a Jetson mobile | Newsmakers | CNET News.com.

This entry was posted on Saturday, April 23rd, 2005 at 10:54 am and is filed under Trends, Scenarios, Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.